Dump truck discharge attachment



Aug. 22, 1961 E. D. RICHARDS ET AL 2,997,213

DUMP TRUCK DISCHARGE ATTACHMENT Filed July 17, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 22, 1961 E. D. RICHARDS ETAL DUMP TRUCK DISCHARGE ATTACHMENT Filed July 17, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Unite The present invention relates to dump trucks generally and in particular to a material discharge control attachment for a dump truck.

In the maintenance of bituminous surface roadways it is necessary to repair the surface in places where the trafiic or the weather has broken the surface and a hole in the roadway has developed due to the scattering of the roadway material. Each hole in the roadway surface must be filled with a fresh bituminous mixture of aggregate and binder. Heretofore it has been the practice to hand shovel the mix from the body of a dump truck containing a quantity of the bituminous mixture. This practice entails the expenditure of considerable hand labor accompanied by inefficient placing of the bituminous mix and wasting of the bituminous mix.

An object of the present invention is to provide a material discharge control attachment for a dump truck by means of which the fresh bituminous mixture employed in repairing holes in a roadway surface may be accurately dispensed in the roadway surface without wastage and with the expenditure with a minimum of labor.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an attachment for a dump truck which is adaptable for all sizes of dump trucks, one readily attached to and detached from a dump truck, one simple in structure and economical to manufacture and assemble, and one which is highly effective in action.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be fully apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of the rear end portion of a dump truck body with the attachment of the present invention secured thereto,

FIGURE 2 is an end view in elevation of the assembly shown in FIGURE 1, on a reduced scale, and showing one of the gates in a partially opened condition,

FIGURE 3 is a view on an enlarged scale, taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2,

FIGURE 4 is an isometric view of the attachment of the present invention shown removed from the truck, and

FIGURE 5 is a view partially in section of the attachment of the present invention in a position of use, with dotted lines indicating the lower body portion of an operator of the attachment shown standing upon the step provided by the attachment while regulating one of the gates.

Referring in greater detail to the drawings in which like numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views, in FIGURES 1 and 5 the reference numeral designates generally a dump truck body having a discharge end 12 and including a floor 14 extending inwardly from the discharge end 12 with side pieces 16 rising from the floor 14 and extending inwardly from the discharge end 12. The frame of the truck on which the body 10 is mounted is indicated generally by the reference numeral 18 and the body 10 is connected thereto by a pivot pin 20 for movement from the horizontal position shown in FIGURE 1 to a tilted position in FIGURE 5 in which the contents of the body 10 are discharged rearwardly under a swinging end gate 22 pivotally connected to the body 10 adjacent the discharge end 12 of the body 10.

The attachment of the present invention is designated generally with the reference numeral 24 and comprises 'atent Patented Aug. 22, 1961 a trough 26 having a bottom 28 of a width substantially conforming to the width of the floor 14 of the truck body 10. The bottom 28 of the trough 26 has a forward end '30, a rearward end 32, and side edges 34 and 36. Side walls 38 and 40 rise from the side edges 34 and 36, respectively.

A connecting wall 42 rises from the rearward end 32 of the trough bottom 28.

The connecting wall 42 is provided with a plurality of discharge openings arranged in spaced relation therealong and extending from the top of the connecting wall 42 to the bottom of the wall 42. One such opening is shown in FIGURE 3 and designated by the reference numeral 44. An openable and closable gate 46 closes the opening 44 and other gates 48 and 50 close the other openings in the connecting wall 42.

Each of the gates 46, 48, and 56 is operatively connected to the adjacent opening in the connecting wall 42 by means of horizontally disposed straps 52 and 54 bridging the adjacent opening in the wall 42, as shown in FIGURE 3. Each gate 46, 48, and 50 is provided with ahandle 56.

A step 58 is disposed between the openings 44 and the complemental opening closed by the gate 48 and another step 60 is disposed between the opening closed by the gate 48 and the opening closed by the gate 50. The steps 58 and 60 project from the outer face of the connecting wall 42.

A distributing member 62 is disposed between the adjacent openings closed by the gates 46 and 48 and another distributing member 64 is disposed between the openings closed by the gates 48 and 58. The members 62 and 64 are complementally shaped and extend inwardly in a converging manner from the connecting wall 42. Each member 62 and 64 comprises triangularly shaped side walls 66 and 68 and a triangularly shaped top wall 70 joining the upper ends of the side walls 66 and 68 together. The portion of the top Wall 70 of each member 62 and 64 is cut away adjacent the top of the connecting wall 42 to provide a space which may receive the thigh portion of an individual when standing on the step 58 or 60. Such an individual is indicated in dotted lines at 72 in FIGURE 5.

The steps 58 and 60 are between the diverging ends of the distributing members 62 and 64, respectively.

Attachment means is provided for securing the trough 26 to the truck body 10. This means includes a chain 72 adjacent each of the side walls 38 and 40 of the trough 26. Each chain 72 has one end secured to the truck body 10 adjacent the upper end of the gate 22 and the other end secured to the projecting end portion of an angle iron member 74 which extends transversely across the under side of the trough 26 adjacent the connecting wall 42. The attaching means also include a pair of forwardly projecting bars 76 secured to the under side of the trough bottom 28 adjacent the forward end 30 of the bottom 28 with portions projected forwardly of the forward end 30 and receivable in holes provided in a depending flange 78 which is carried on the under side of the truck body 10 adjacent the discharge end 12.

A hole 80 is provided in each of the troughs side walls 38 and 40 for the passage therethrough of the conventional chain 82 which is employed to lock the end gate 22 in closed position relative to the discharge end 12 of the body 10.

In use, the attachment 24 is readily attached to the truck body 10 by insertion of the bars 76 through the holes provided in the flange 78 and by attachment of the chains 72 to the trough angle iron member 74 and the body 10. When the truck body 10 is in the horizontal position (FIGURE 1) the trough 26 will be supported in a substantially horizontal position projecting rearwardly of the body '10, with the bottom 28 below the body floor 14 and with the side walls 38 and 40 overlying the body side pieces 16. When the contents of the body 1t are to be discharged through the trough 26, as in FIGURE 5, an operator of the gates 46, 48, or 50, may stand on the steps 58 or 60 or upon both of the steps 58 and 60 in order that each of the handles 56 of the respective gates 46, 48, or 50 be readily accessible to him.

Upon forward movement of the body 10 on the truck with which it is associated, the operator of the gates of the trough 26 may discharge the contents of the body .10 through the opening closed by the respective gate by lifting of the gate and permitting the contents of the trough 26 to flow outwardly onto the road surface to be repaired.

It will readily be seen therefore that the attachment 24 of the present invention is useful in the maintenance of bituminous surface roadway when the truck body 10 is used to transport and distribute through the trough 26 a fresh bituminous repair mix with the operator of the gates 46, 4-8, and 5t), controlling the flow of the mix outwardly of the trough 26 with ease and facility and onto the area of the roadway to be repaired with efliciency and without wastage of the bituminous repair mix.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with a truck body having a discharge end and including a floor extending inwardly from said discharge end and a pair of side pieces rising from said floor and extending inwardly from said discharge end,

of a material discharge control attachment comprising a trough including a bottom of a width substantially conforming to the width of said truck body floor and having a forward end, a rearward end, and a pair of side edges, side walls rising from said side edges, and a connecting wall rising from the rearward end of said bottom, there being a plurality of discharge openings arranged in spaced relation in said connecting wall and extending from the top to the bottom of said connecting wall, an openable and closable gate operatively connected to each of said openings, said trough being positioned so that the forward end of said trough bottom is below said truck body floor and is contiguous to the discharge end of said truck body with the portions of the side walls adjacent the free ends overlapping the parts of said side pieces adjacent the discharge end of said truck body, detachable means for securing said trough to said truck body, and a step between adjacent openings in said connecting wall and projecting from the outer face of said connecting wall.

2. The combination with a truck body having a discharge end and including a floor extending inwardly from said discharge end and a pair of side pieces rising from said floor and extending inwardly from said discharge end, of a material discharge control attachment comprising a trough including a bottom of a width substantially conforming to the width of said truck body floor and having a forward end, a rearward end, a pair of side edges, side walls rising from said side edges, and a connecting wall rislng from the rearward end of said bottom, there being a plurality of discharge openings arranged in spaced relatron in said connecting wall and extending from the top to the bottom of said connecting wall, an openable and closable gate operatively connected to each of said openings, said trough being positioned so that the forward end of sald trough bottom is below said truck body floor and 15 contiguous to the discharge end of said truck body with the portions of the side walls adjacent the free ends overiapping the parts of said side pieces adjacent the discharge end of said truck body, detachable means for securing said trough to said truck body, a distributing member between adjacent openings and extending in wardly in a converging manner from said connecting wall, and a step between the divergent ends of each of said distributing members and projecting from the outer face of said connecting wall.

3. The combination with a truck body having a discharge end and including a floor extending inwardly from said discharge end and a pair of side pieces rising from said floor and extending inwardly from said discharge end, of a material discharge control attachment compris ing a trough including a bottom of a width substantially conforming to the width of said truck body floor and having a forward end, a rearward end, a pair of side edges, side walls rising from said side edges, and a connecting wall rising from the rearward end of said bottom, there being a plurality of discharge openings arranged in spaced relation in said connecting wall and extending from the top to the bottom of said connecting wall, an openable and closable gate operatively connected to each of said openings, said trough being positioned so that the forward end of said trough bottom is below said truck body floor and is contiguous to the discharge end of said truck body with the portions of the side walls adjacent the free ends overlapping the parts of said side pieces adjacent the discharge end of said truck body, detachable means for securing said trough to said truck body, a distributing member between adjacent openingse and extending inwardly in a converging manner from said connecting wall, and a step between the divergent ends of each of said distributing members and projecting from the outer face of said connecting wall, the portion of each of said distributing members adjacent the top of said connecting wall being cut away to provide room for the thighs of an individual when standing upon the adjacent step.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,113,443 Isom Oct. 13, 1914 1,735,930 Miller Nov. 19, 1929 1,981,095 Dickerson Nov. 30, 1934 2,290,460 Winsor July 21, 1942 

